Toothpick-dispenser



H. S. HEARN AND A. E. PERRETEN'. TOOTHPICK DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, I920. 1,390,553, PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

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M V{ 'J v ATTO NEYI H. S. HEARN AND A. E. PERRETEN. 'TOOTHPICK DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1.2. 1920- 1,390,553. PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

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' l ATTO Mix J 3- 3 of Fig. 2, and

uNi-TE-os- TEsrar r oF c HIRAM s. HEARN AND ARNOLD 'EJPERRETENQOF DENVER, coLo Ano.

i TOOTHPIGK DISIlZ-ENSER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HIRAM S. HEAVEN and ARNOLD E. PER TE citizens of the United States, residingat Denver, inithe tooth pick dispenser and has as. one of its principal Objects toprovide a device of this character wherein the supply of tooth picks will be housed and protected from dust and.

dirt while the tooth picks will be delivered singly so that the device will thus insure 'a' sanitary condition of the tooth picks.

The invention has as .a further object to provide a device requiring a separateactuation thereof for each tooth pick delive'red,to

the end that this feature, in conjunction with the fact that the tooth picks are: delivered singly, will tend to discourage. Waste of the tooth picks.

The invention has as a further object to provide adevice which will be dependable for delivering a single tooth pick each time the device is actuated and wherein liability of jamming of the tooth picks or mutilation thereof will be reduced to a minimum.

ject to providea zdevice whi'ch will be neat and attractive and'whichwill accordingly,

when installed, provide-a desirable .orna

menthereinafter;

In the drawings:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our 1mproved .tooth pick dispenser,

Fig. 2 .'s a fragmentaryvertical section taken medially through the device,

Fig.' 3. is a sectional view taken at sub. stantially right angles to Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the toothpick hopper of the device depressed.

In carrying the invention intoefl'ect, 'we

employ a base 10 which may be formed. of.

wood or other approved material and upstanding from this base are spaced vertical guide posts 11 on the upper ends of which are threaded nuts 12. Between said posts and in alinement therewith is arranged an upstanding ejector 13. This ejector is in Specification of Letters Patent.

, per end ofthe ejector.

Fig. 2, 0n the line; i

r I Patented Sept.'1"3,.1921. Application filed April 12, 1920., Serial No. 373,226. A I

the imam of a fiat platejwhich m be in- 1 tegral .with the base or otherwise secured thereto and formed in the upper endedge of the ejector is a tooth pick receiving slot- 15 having, parallel side walls; -;Preferably, this slot is only of a width to. receive either,

one edge portion or the other'of a tooth pick so that;.ja tooth pick-falling into the slot must lie therein upon one of its longitudinalv edges- As particularly brought out-in Fig. 3, thefupper end of the ejector is provided with beveled faces. sloping in opposite directions from the slot, and formed in the upperv end portion of the ejector are spaced vertical notches 16 opening through the up- .Between the guide posts 11 is-a vertically shiftable tooth pick hopper 17. This hopper is preferably cylindrical and 'is normally closed-by. a spring presseddoor-"18- which formsta partiof the cylindrical wall of the hopper. However, aswill be observed, a slot-19 is provided in the upper side of the hopper at the free edge of the door. Pr0-' jecting from the end walls of the hopper are lugs20 freely receiving the "guide posts. therethrough so that these lugs thus sli'dably support the hopper uponthe posts, and bearin'g beneath said lugsyarefhelical elevating And the invention has as a still-further obsprings 21 for the hopper, these springs surrounding. the: guide posts andresting 'at their lower ends upon the base 10. Opposed. tothe elevating springs are helical cushion-.

V 4 c ing springs-22 for the hopper,- these latter' Other and incidentaliobjects-will appear' springs surrounding the upper end portions sides-offthe lugs. Housing the springsQl and-22 aretubular casings 23 receiving the. guide posts through the upper end walls thereof andqresting at their lower ends upon: the'base' 10, the casings being secured by the nuts 12 upon the upper ends of the posts and being slotted. at their inner sides to freelyfreceive the lugs-2O therein. Thus, it -will=be'seen thatthe hopper may be depressed against the action of the springs 21,

-' and to facilitate this operation the hopper is preferably provided with a .finger irih.

Upon-:release of the hopper, said springs will immediately return the hopper to its normal positiomwhen the springs 22 will operate to cushion the hopper inits upward movement.

Depending from the hopper 17 is a sleeve 24 snugly but slidably fitting over the ejector 13 so that fragments of tooth picks or other foreign matter can not enter between the sleeve and ejector-to cause sticking of the hopper. WVhen the hopper is in its normal elevated position, this sleeve formsa. feeding slot above the upper end of the ejector. Upstanding from the curved wall of the hopper at one side of the slot 19 are resilient delivering fingers 26, and coacting with these fingers are similar fingers 27 upstanding. from the free longitudinal edge of the door 18. As particularly brought out in F ig, 3, the lower end portions of the fingers converge upwardly over the slot while the upper end'portions of the fingers are slightly-divergent. Y j V In use, the hopper is filled preferably about half full with a supply of tooth picks.

. As will be seen, one or more of the tooth picks will always gravitate intothe slot 25 so that when the hopper. is in its normal position, a"

tooth pick will be lodged within the groove 15 of the ejector. Consequently, when the fingers will move into the notches 16 of the ejector beneath the tooth pick thereon and,

as will be particularly observed upon reference to Fig. 4, the inclined portions of the fingers 27 are adapted to ride against the bottom walls of said notches. for slightly swinging the door 18 and consequently mov: ing the fingers 26 away from the fingers'27 as the hopper reaches the limit of its'downward movement. This slight spreading of the fingers is desirable in order that the tooth pick may, should it have been disturbed in its position, settle back into the groove 15. Consequently, when the hopper is released, as shown in Fig. 1, and the hopper is moved upwardly by its elevating springs, the fingers 27 will, upon being shifted out of engagement with the bottom walls of said notches, be moved toward the fingers 26 for clamping the'tooth pick between said fingers, it being observed that the tooth pick will lie upon the ejector in such manner that the fingers will engage the flat-sides of the tooth pick. The tooth pick will thus be carried upwardly with the hopper and supported in such position by the fingers that the tooth pick may be easily grasped and removed. The device will, therefore, operate each time the hopper is depressed, to deliver a single tooth pick while the supply of tooth picks willbe kept in a clean condition within the hopper. Since the feeding slot 25 is located directly at the bottom of the hopper the tooth picks the hopper is depressed, the presence of the ejector within the hopper will tend to straighten the tooth picks. Further, whenthe hopper is released and moves upwardly to strike the'cushioning springs :22, the resultant vibration of the hopper will also tend to straighten and feed the tooth picks into the feeding slot of the hopper.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a tooth pick dispensing device, the

combination of a base, guide posts rising will readily slide into said slot while, when I therefrom, an ejector upstanding from the base, a hopper slidably supported by said posts and depressible over the ejector, springs surrounding the posts and normally acting to hold the hopper elevated, springs carried by the posts for cushioningthe hop- 7 per in its upward movement, and delivery means carried by the hopper to engage a tooth pick upon the ejector.

2. In a tooth pick dispensing device, the combination of a fixed ejector, a hopper depressible over the ejector, yieldable means for moving the hopper upwardly, yieldable means for cushioning the hopper in its up ward movement, and delivery means carried by the hopper to engage a tooth pick upon. theejector. I

. 3. A device of the character described in-' eluding a base, guide posts rising therefrom, an ejector upstanding from the base between said posts, a hopper slidably supportedby said posts and depressible over the ejector,

springs surrounding the posts and normally holding the hopper elevated, casings hous-- ing said springs, and means upon the upper ends of the posts securing the casings and limiting the hopper against upward displacement. 1 a J 4. In a tooth pick dispensing device, the;

a hopper depressible over the ejector and slidably supported by said posts, yieldable means carried by'the posts and sustaining the hopper, yieldable means carried by the posts for cushioning the hopper .in its upward 'Inovement, and a casing upon the posts housing all of said yieldable means. r

' In testimony whereof We afiix our-signatures.

HIRAM S. HEARN. [L. s.] ARNOLD E. PERRETEN. [n 's.]

combination ofa fixed ejector, guid st 

